Collapsing World_Stolen Treasure_Book 3

by G. Allen Mercer

  Perez worked feverishly to override the need to have the keys in order to start the vehicle. The imbedded protocol in the software was one that didn’t make it easy for the President’s vehicle to be started remotely. She looked up at the scenes being transmitted by the cameras, that’s when she saw Clark, running at full speed from the right facing camera.

  “Open your passenger door, now! It’s Clark!” Perez commanded, just as she found the right sequence to override the start command.

  Deb looked to the right and could see the American soldier running and firing. He was waving his arms and possibly yelling, but she couldn’t hear him. She unlocked the door and flung it open. The sounds of the firefight magnified and spilled into the cabin.

  Clark was coming from behind two of the soldiers, and they never stood a chance as he shot them in the back, running past. Clark saw the door open just a crack, but it was enough; he dove into the front seat.

  “Shut it! Shut it!”

  Deb closed the door behind him, just as the Humvee roared to life. It was a tight fit, so Clark pivoted to look at Penny, and yelled.

  “GO!”

  “Where?”

  “Drive into the church! GO, NOW!”

  Penny stomped on the right peddle, sending the Diesel engine spinning, she had it in reverse first so that she could back away from the tree. The soldiers firing on her advanced a few feet as she moved back and away from them.

  “Shit! Hurry!” Clark ordered, sliding past Deb and Dan to sit next to Penny. The billow of red smoke had just broken through the branches of the downed tree. The downed tree trembled as if it were being devoured by a massive force, just as one of the smashed troop transports exploded through the branches, creating a hole for the APC. The APC pushed the carcass of the transport as if it were a bulldozer, using the damaged vehicle as a battering ram against the tree. More soldiers than Clark could count poured through the hole, using the armored vehicle as a shield.

  The gunner on the APC acquired the bell tower first as the primary target; opening up with both of the vehicle’s heavy guns. The bell rang a thousand times as the top of the tower exploded with the pounding. The small shingle roof above the bells collapsed, releasing the cast giant bronze structure, and sending the bell crashing down the shaft of the tower. The decades old brick disintegrated into powder, causing the remains of the tower to collapse in on itself.

  Clark saw it happen, he knew Dukes was up there, but there was no time for that now. “GO, DAMN IT…GO!”

  “I AM!” Penny yelled, fighting to control the torque generated by the vehicle. The truck veered left, and she over corrected, sending hundreds of pieces of crushed stone flying. Dozens of bullets ricocheted off the glass, leaving small smoky dings in the field of view. Penny got control and aimed the vehicle at the first two soldiers in her path, and mowed them down without thinking.

  “The doors, aim for the doors!” Clark ordered. He looked right, the APC was turning towards them, but they were moving too quickly to be acquired by their gunner. He thought he caught a glimpse of Shaw running along the tree line; with several soldiers were in pursuit.

  “Clark!” Perez’s voice in the vehicle caught him off guard.

  “What?”

  “Warthogs are starting their run in ten seconds.”

  Clark didn’t have time to answer, as several heavy caliber rounds struck the back-right side of the vehicle, causing Penny to lose control of the vehicle. The back-right window imploded with the shock, sending shards of serrated ‘glass’ compound and metal blasting through the back compartment. Thankfully, they were all in the front.

  Clark reached for the wheel and course correcting the vehicle, aiming it for the closest side of the building. “GO! GO!”

  Another round struck the back of the vehicle and bounced off, exploding into the rooftop of the church. The Humvee punched through the side of the church just as the lead Air Force Fairchild Republic A-10 Thunderbolt lost its 30mm rotary cannon on the smoke covered APC.

  Emma screamed as the exterior wall to the church exploded inward, and the Humvee crashed through the rubble. The three soldiers crouching near the wall, including the soldier pierced by Lucy’s arrow, fell victim to the intruding hunk of American steel.

  Tasha joined in the screaming, as it was almost too much for her to manage. The sound of the explosions and their screams were drowned out, as the sound of the jets filled the battle scene with the roar of furry and freedom. Explosion after explosion rocked the remaining shell of the church from the outside, causing the old structure to heaved and moaned.

  “What the hell is that?” David yelled, his hands shaking with the weight of the rifle.

  The driver’s door of the Humvee opened and Clark and Penny jumped out.

  “Get in, now,” Clark ordered. “We’re getting out of here.”

  Emma and Lucy didn’t have to be told twice. They helped David over the pile of wooden benches and into the backseat of the vehicle.

  “Where’s my dad?” Penny asked, jumping out of the vehicle and looking for her father. “Dad!” She called.

  “Where’s Jack?” Lucy asked after getting David in his seat.

  Clark put a heavy hand on Penny’s arm. “Get in,” he ordered, pulling on the girl.

  “I’m not leaving without my dad,” she pulled away from him.

  “Jack!” Lucy called.

  “Keep it down, this isn’t over,” Clark growled. There were still a number of enemy soldiers around the church; most of which had regrouped around the large oak at the back.

  “Now!” Clark insisted, again. They needed to leave now, while the Chinese were shell shocked and confused.

  Emma stepped out of the back and put her arms around Lucy. “Get in,” she said turning the girl towards the open door.

  “I’m not leaving without Jack!”

  “And, I’m not leaving without my dad,” Penny echoed.

  Clark really didn’t have to think about what he was about to do, he just did it; he wouldn’t leave Dukes and Shaw behind any more than they would have left him behind. He also knew that he would especially not leave Jack. He just wanted everyone else to get to safety.

  “Look,” he said to Penny. “You,” he punched his finger into her shoulder. “You need to drive them out of here, and get them to safety. Perez will guide you. I’ll get the others. I’ll find your father. We’ll be right behind you. Okay?”

  Penny nodded a reluctant kind of nod, still looking around for her father.

  “Hey!” He poked her again. “Did you hear me?”

  She nodded again. “Yeah, I got it. Just bring them back alive.” Clark didn’t look convinced, but she turned back towards the vehicle, nonetheless.

  “What about Jack?” Lucy asked, knowing, with Penny giving in, that there was no more argument. She moved robotically to the front passenger side of the vehicle.

  “I’ll get them all,” Clark promised, poking his head in the vehicle. He was painfully aware of just how close they were to being overrun, but didn’t need them to panic; he needed them to leave. “Give me the keys to the Bronco,” he asked, looking at Tasha.

  Tasha shook her head. “They’re still hanging in the ignition.”

  “Okay,” Clark said, taking one of Penny’s magazines from her belt and pushing her to get in the driver’s seat. “Go, I’ll get your dad, Jack and Shaw, and we’ll find you.”

  “But?”

  “Go, now, Penny! You need to be the leader here! I need someone that can drive them out of here, and that’s you!”

  “Penny,” it was the voice of Perez, coming through the speakers of the Humvee. “I’ve got some cover for you, but you’ve got to go right now!

  Penny nodded at Clark, and then she took control. “Everyone get down, this is going to be bumpy! Perez, we’re getting the hell out of here, right now! So, whatever you got, get it read!”

  “Go!” Clark ordered, and slammed the door; not waiting to hear what Perez would tell her.

&
nbsp; Penny floored the vehicle, spinning the tires on the hard wood floors, and sending it crashing through an outer wall at the back of the church. She had to avoid hitting the Bronco, and swerved into a group of surprised soldiers who had mustered around the tree. She shot gravel on the soldiers, and they opened fire on her, and began chasing on foot.

  Once she hit the pavement of the road, she saw the half dozen soldiers meet with a fury of death, just as another A-10 Warthog guaranteed the group’s escape.

  Clark watched the escape through the wreckage of the church, knowing there had to be other soldiers lurking around. But soldiers weren’t his main concern; his main concern was finding his men.

  CHAPTER 41

  [10]

  Perez watched the chaos from her desk in the Pit. Chaos was not really the right word, but, as it stood, they had successfully recovered the hostage, the Presidential Humvee, and gotten most of the team out. Chaos was just window dressing for the cluster that was luck, ingenuity and firepower.

  Perez leaned into her screens, as if they could see her in the Humvee. “I’ll see what I can do to locate the others for Clark,” she told the occupants of the Humvee.

  “Thanks.” It was Lucy; she had chosen to concentrate on what she knew how to do instead of the health of her father, or the whereabouts of her brother. “Please help him find Jack,” she said, stifling a sob. With that thought, she assumed control of anything to do with the onboard systems that didn’t involve driving. She was confident that Emma was taking care of her father in the back, and Clark would take care of Jack. What she needed was to distract herself from the reality. She punched a few buttons on the dash, just trying to do something.

  “Yeah, whatever you can do for my dad, Shaw and,” Penny said, looking briefly at Lucy before pushing the accelerator a little more to the floor, “and Jack.” She was nudging the speed of the vehicle past 70 miles per hour on the small road; the wind from the shattered window whistled across the internal speaker system.

  “I can fix that noise,” Lucy said, as if reading Penny’s mind.

  “Okay, you know I will do what I can to help them all,” Perez offered. “So, where are you going, now? I think it would be best to head to the base in Carrolton, Georgia. We have a staging area and…”

  “Talladega,” Tasha said, cutting Perez off in mid-sentence. She had been utterly silent, the constant shock and awe ebbing and flowing with her sense of reality. “We need to go to Talladega. That’s were Grace, and Leah are.” Her voice was solid and determined; tidal flows of reality be damned!

  Perez opened her mouth to say something before she actually processed the two names she had just heard. Grace and Leah? As in Grace and Leah Burrows? Holy Shit! Could it be them? She tried to stay composed, but couldn’t believe that she was about to be lead straight to the person the Russians wanted her to find.

  Admiral Faulk heard her say those names, and slowly made his way towards her station.

  “Who are they?” Perez asked, now composed. “And, who are you?” she asked, looking at David and Tasha through the camera.

  “That’s Tasha,” Emma said, leaning towards one of the cameras. “And, you’re not going to believe it, but, that’s David…”

  “He’s my dad! Lucy said, showing a genuine smile.

  “Son-of-a-bitch,” Perez realized, the coincidence of the moment hitting her heavy.

  “No kidding, right?” Emma responded, with a knowing huff.

  “What are the chances of you all finding…”

  “So,” Penny cut her off. “We’re going to Talladega,” she asserted, making the decision for the group. “It’s closer than some base in Georgia. Besides, David’s injured and I’d like to get him out of this truck. And, it’ll be an easy place for the others to find us,” she reasoned.

  The others just nodded, the crash of adrenalin from the battle draining the energy from the team.

  “Okay,” Perez relented. “To Talladega, then. Tell me again, who are Grace and Leah?”

  Tasha put her head back against the top of the seat, letting the motion of the vehicle relax her as she began to speak. “They’re just people; people that offered to help me. They have guns, and training, and medical people, but above everything else, they’re just caring people.”

  “Do you know their last name?” Perez asked. She knew the answer to her own question before she asked it.

  “Barrow, or Bird, or something. No, it’s Burrows,” Tasha said, nodding her head gently, but never actually lifting it off of the back of the seat. “It’s Burrows. Grace and Leah Burrows. There’s a dad, too, but I don’t remember his name.”

  “Ian,” David said, his voice a warbler, the remnants of adrenalin still lapping at his nerves.

  “Roger, that,” Perez said, checking off the confirmation. She wrote down the names on a legal pad and looked up at Admiral Faulk. He returned the look with a furrowed brow of understanding; they were on the right path.

  “So, can you get us there without us running into any troops, helicopters, trucks or tanks?” Lucy asked, trying to get the onboard navigation working again.

  “Let me check the imagery,” Perez answered. She watched Faulk walk back into his office and shut the door. “We’re really focused on Louisiana right now, but,” her voice trailed off as she manipulated her screen shot of the region from space. “Okay, got it. Lucy, I just messaged the best directions to the vehicle. It looks relatively quiet. Your encounter was about as far to the east as the action seemed to go. But, with that said, it looks like there’s quite a gathering of people at the Talladega racetrack. I hope this is a wise move. Just to be safe, I’ll leave a link up so I can monitor you guys, but I’ll be splitting time. They need me to help with the other exercise, so…”

  The Admiral emerged from his office and walked over to Perez. “You’ll need to table this for right now. I need you helping with Louisiana.” He walked away, business as usual.

  “What about my dad and the others?” Penny asked through the open link, shaking Perez from her thoughts about what to do next.

  “Listen, Penny, I’ll see what I can do, but right now, I’m needed with the New Orleans task force. I’ll leave your com open, and try to keep an eye on you. Over,” she said, ending any further discussion.

  Jack tried to control his breathing. He could see that the other man, Penny’s father, was going to die. He had remained as silent as he dared, and at the sound of the Humvee spinning through the parking lot and down the road, he nearly lost hope. His leg was pinned under rubble from the collapse of the church steeple. Even if he wanted to go rescue Dukes, he couldn’t.

  “Jack! Jack!” the voice was a whisper yell. Jack knew the voice, and his hope returned with a rush.

  “Clark! Here! Here! I’m over here! Help!” he answered in the same whisper yell, trying not to jostle his leg too much.

  Clark zeroed in on the boy, still very mindful that enemy soldiers surrounded them. “Hey, take it easy,” he said, quickly accessing the situation.

  “It’s my leg, it’s trapped.”

  Clark knelt down and started moving a few small pieces. “Do you think it’s broken?” Clark moved pieces of brick and wood as quickly and as gently as he could, mindful of the nails protruding throughout the aged hand sawn lumber.

  “No, I just think it’s asleep, it’s at a weird angle.”

  Clark had heard things like that before when dealing with IEDs in Iraq; he grimaced for the worst as he lifted the last board, freeing the boy.

  Jack reached down and touched his leg. From the outside it looked fine; no bones sticking through his pants. His pants below the knee were ripped, and there was some blood, but otherwise, he looked okay.

  “Can you move it?”

  Jack nodded and gingerly straightened his leg. He then rotated his foot a few times, feeling the sharp pain of the pins and needles as blood and feeling rushed back to the limb.

  “Mr. Dukes is somewhere in that pile,” Jack said, trying to stand and move t
owards the pile. Clark grabbed his arm, stopping him from moving. He held a finger to his lips for silence; someone was closing in on them. He pivoted around, raising his rifle, ready to fire.

  “I thought you were leaving,” Shaw said, slowly walking through the doorway so that Clark could clearly make the ID.

  “Son-of-bitch, man, I thought. Well, I didn’t know what to think.”

  Shaw shrugged; a bloody rag of some sort covered a gash along his forehead. “I saw the Hummer bug out. Is it just us three?”

  “No, we need to find Dukes. Jack thinks he’s here,” he said, moving debris from one of the larger piles.

  It only took a few seconds before they found his right foot, and then his left. He had several scrapes along his legs. The next thing they found shocked them. As they moved a large piece of plaster wallboard, they discovered the bronze bell from the tower, and the upper portion of Dukes torso curled inside and unconscious. Clark reached two fingers to his neck, trying to locate a pulse. There was one.

  “He’s alive,” Clark announced.

  “We’ve got company,” Shaw responded to the good news.

  Several dark uniforms were probing the entrance hole made by the hummer. Shaw knelt, rifle at the ready to defend their position. He looked wobbly.

  Clark saw it too. He also saw Shaw’s condition. He needed a plan.

  “Can you shoot straight?” Clark asked Shaw.

  Shaw felt the wet tee-shirt bandage that he had applied to his head. He was light headed, and probably had a concussion, but hell yeah, he could shoot straight. He nodded, checking his ammunition.

  Clark then turned to the boy. “Jack, you’re going to drive us out of here!”

  Jack looked out through the hole in the back of the church. He could see the black Bronco, and he smiled.

  “Listen, the keys are in the ignition. Shaw is going to cover you. Once you’re in, start it, and we’ll be right behind you. Put it in drive and step on it.”